Luke McGarry of Pop Noir Nominated For Cartoonist of the Year Award

Right now, Luke McGarry is the poster child for success in the world of rock-n-roll cartoons. Literally.

In 2012, the artist and co-founder of OC-bred indie band Pop Noir become the guiding artistic hand behind the artwork for some of Goldenvoice's biggest events, including this year's FYF and the pre-Coachella concert posters, all of which you've seen plastered just about everywhere, including your favorite local music blog. Turns out his distinct artistic vision is being recognized by the world at large.

McGarry, 25, was recently nominated in the Advertising Illustration Division of the annual NCS Reuben Awards for his distinctive poster work for the West Coast concert promoter as well as his work with venues like The Echo and a client list as prestigious as the New York Observer, Bloomberg Businessweek aaaannnnd....the Weekly! You may remember NOIRtorious, weekly comic the vocalist penned with his twin brother and bandmate, Joe. Then there was this gay blowjob comic strip he drew for last year's Sex Issue--we always make sure to give him the most highbrow assignments. McGarry has also recently been named one of the Outstanding Cartoonists of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society.

The winners of the NCS Reuben Awards will be announced on May 25th at the 67th Annual Reuben Awards dinner, which will be held this year in Pittsburgh, PA. The full list of nominees is available at reuben.org.

When not recording and performing as Pop Noir, the McGarry twins operate as successful illustration and design outfit Fantastic Heat Brothers, and have built an impressive client list that includes a number of record companies and concert promoters, as well as companies as diverse as Scholastic and the California State Lottery. The brothers are the youngest-ever recipients of the prestigious NCS Silver T-square award. Not bad, guys! You can also look for more of McGarry's work in our forthcoming Summer Guide which will feature pages splashed with OC's most iconic summertime stories, told in cartoon form. Yep, get ready.

Nate Jackson is the gatekeeper to your dreams of local dive bar stardom. If he writes about you, expect your band to be offered at least one more drink ticket than the rest of the bands on the bill. Get his attention with some groovy tunes and he might just do it. Then, boy will you feel special.